Researcher:

Research Area:

B

In my research, I analyze a selection of contemporary artworks that reflect on memory and oblivion concerning the German colonial past in Namibia, then German South West Africa (1884–1915). The selection includes primarily graphic, video and installation art by artists from Namibia and Germany. As I argue, the artworks do not address the colonial past as a period within Namibian history, but instead open up a space for the reflection of collective memory from the perspective of a post-colonial present.

For the interpretation, I am particularly interested in the artistic strategies and positionings presented in the artworks. According to my assumption, these artistic strategies are just as diverse as the forms of collective remembrance and oblivion when it comes to the shared German-Namibian colonial past.